Town Tales – Amsterdam

Discovering the Dutch capital with Pockiesling and your hands free

The bike-city is the perfect fit for a Pockiesling x Town-Tales match: While the phone case brand focuses on efficient convenience, combining all of your essentials in one place, giving you all the leeway you need by keeping your hands free, our Town Tales are about the newest, hippest and coolest places in the world. For a relaxed summery weekend get-away Amsterdam might be the ideal place – and Constance of Pockiesling has the grandest plan for you. Discover the city like a local on your bike and on a boat, experience Dutch art, go people watching, have some amazing food and check out some of the coolest locations your path will ever cross.

MORNING

Vondelpark
It's great to start the day with a jog in the Vondelpark, a lovely 19th-century park in the heart of Amsterdam. Since it's so centrally located, you will often run into people you know on a jog, biking through, relaxing or walking their dog – at least when living in Amsterdam.

Lavinia Good Food
I'll have a coffee afterwards at Lavinia Good Food in the Kerkstraat, a cute restaurant for healthy dishes that are perfect for brunch or lunch with friends. Get some shakshuka, banana pancakes, a slice of carrot cake or a little pizzetta with egg and truffles. Top it with some homemade juice and you're good to go enjoy the rest of your day.

AFTERNOON

Huis Marseille
Amsterdam has some great art galleries and museums, from old Masters to contemporary art and photography. Huis Marseille is a photography museum housed in a 17th-century house on the canals in Louis XIV style. The current exhibition is of work by Viviane Sassen, one of my favourite Dutch artists.

Torch Gallery
Afterwards, I make a quick stop at Torch Gallery that is showing an exhibition by contemporary artist and friend Lisette van Hoogenhuyze. The gallery is specialised in photography and was among the first ones realising the potential of the medium for high art but exhibits all kind of Dutch artists.

Café De Eland
I hop on my bike to café De Eland, in the bustling and quaint Jordaan area of the city. The cafe has lots of outdoor seating and is great for people watching!

EVENING

I meet some friends for a walk, and afterwards, we join other friends on their boat in the canals to soak up the evening sun. All throughout the year, the canals are full of boats, but the summer is prime time, with even traffic jams sometimes! Afterwards, we head to Central Station to take the 5-minute ferry to Amsterdam Noord, which is the more upcoming part of the city with plenty of space and industrial buildings turned into bars and restaurants.

Chateau Amsterdam
We head to urban winery Chateau Amsterdam, for some wine tasting. They are the first urban winery in the Netherlands, importing organic grapes to Amsterdam and making their wine right in the centre of the city. For aperitivo'clock you're able to try the wines and you'll get a small selection of complementary dishes.

Skatecafe
We end the day at the Skatecafe, a skate ramp, bar, cafe and restaurant in one! It's a multi-purpose place that regularly hosts all-night parties and now even vintage kilo sales, too. The kitchen provides you with a 3-course 30-euro fine dining experience and the open space invites to a chilled summer night.